Christine Blasey Ford: 'I Am Grateful To Have Had The Opportunity To Fulfill My Civic Duty'
In a post on GoFundMe thanking her supporters, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford shared what her life has been like since she accused then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.
“Although coming forward was terrifying, and caused disruption to our lives, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to fulfill my civic duty,” Ford wrote in a post published to the fundraising site last Wednesday.
“Having done so, I am in awe of the many women and men who have written me to share similar life experiences, and now have bravely shared their experience with friends and family, many for the first time,” she continued. “I send you my heartfelt love and support.”
A group of supporters created the GoFundMe page last month to help defray the cost of security and other unexpected expenses Ford has faced since she accused Kavanaugh in September of sexually assaulting her when the two were in high school. The fundraiser easily surpassed its initial goal of $150,000 and, as of Monday afternoon, had raised over $647,000 for Ford and her family.
Ford has faced an onslaught of death threats and harassment since she came forward with her accusation. Despite her emotional testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee ― and an angry denial from Kavanaugh ― the Republican-led committee and the full Senate voted to install the judge on the Supreme Court for life. Ford had to relocate for security purposes, and more than a month after Kavanaugh’s confirmation, she is still receiving threats.
The college professor thanked the thousands of people who have contributed to the GoFundMe campaign, saying their donations helped pay for her home security system, a security detail, and housing for when she and her family were displaced.
“Words are not adequate to thank all of you who supported me since I came forward to tell the Senate that I had been sexually assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh,” she wrote. “Your tremendous outpouring of support and kind letters have made it possible for us to cope with the immeasurable stress, particularly the disruption to our safety and privacy. Because of your support, I feel hopeful that our lives will return to normal.”
Ford announced “with immense gratitude” that she is closing the account and will no longer accept donations. Any of the remaining funds that are not used for security will be donated to support “trauma survivors,” she wrote.
“I wish I could thank each and every one of you individually,” she added. “Thank you.”
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
